Mortimek goff



(Model) M. GOPF.

BURIAL- CASE.

Patented July 31, 18-83,

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrics.

MORTIMER corn, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO FRANCIS H. HILL, or SAME PLACE.

BURIAL-CASE.

SPECTFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 282,072,

dated July 31, 1883,

Application filed March 15, 1883. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORTIMER Gorr', a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, in the State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Burial-Cases, which is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a plan view of the under side of the lid of a burial-case provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line w 00 in Fig. 1, showing a straight glass and a groove adapted thereto. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the same line, showing a curved glass and a groove suited to it. Fig. 4 is a section on the line g y in Fig. 1.

The same letters denote the same parts in all the figures.

Myinvention relates to the glass lids which are applied to burial-cases; and it consists in such a lid locking and unlocking by means of the elasticity of the glass alone, the object being to provide for closing and unclosing the lid more securely, easily, expeditiously, and

' economically than has heretofore been done.

In the drawings, A denotes the guiding frame in which the lids of the burial-case slide. The outer lid, which forms no part of this invention, and accordingly is not shown, slides in the grooves a. The glass lid B, whose office is to close that part of the case which is toward the head," and at the same time afford a view of the face of the corpse, rests in the grooves a, which are arranged deeper in the frame than the grooves a, and are of such width toward the head of the burial-case that the glass, when there, rests nearly close to the wooden lid. This narrow part of each groove extends from the head of the burial-case about three-fourths the length of the glass; there the groove gradually widens until it has nearly doubled its least breadth, and it continues of this increased breadth for the remainder of its length. This conformation of the grooves a is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

From the upper wall of the wider part of each groove to projects toward the other wall a stop, 0, so arranged as to be in contact with the latter is the foot of the glass lid when in breadth to closed. The stop is about equal the narrow part of the groove, so as to hold the glass securely in place. By moderate pressure, however, on the face of the glass at its foot, that end of it can be brought down out of contact with the stops, the increased breadth of the grooves there admitting of this, and the whole glass can then be slid into the wider part of the grooves, thus opening the upper part of the burial-case. By drawing the glass back again past the stops, that part of it toward the head will again be confined in the narrower part of the groove, and the foot, being without resistance, will arrange itself in line with the head, and will again rest against the stops, and thus be locked in the closed position. The possibility of thus transferring the glass from a position in line with the stops to a position below them, and vice versa, depends upon its elasticity, which admits of the slight bending which the transfer requires, and causes the glass to spring back to its normal straightness as soon as the transfer is effected.

The particular conformation of the grooves which I have described is adapted to a straight pane of glass, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. It very often happens, however. that the glass is curved between its ends. In that case, by arranging the glass with its bulge downward, as shown in Fig. 3, a straight groove, as shown in the same figure, will serve the same purpose much more satisfactorily, upward bend of the glass at its foot causingit to lock against the stops. In either case the .stops operate to change the alignment of the guide in which the glass tn vels at a point whose distance from the head is equal to the length of the glass.

A knob, D, projecting from the upper surface of the glass near its upper end, facilitates getting hold of the glass for the purpose of sliding it up or down. 7

By the construction which I have described, I obtain a removable glass lid which locks itself securely, and is readily unlocked without the necessity any frame or border for the glass other than the of any catch or fastening or of the groove in the frame-work of the burial-case itself, in which it slides.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a burial-case, the glass cover B, in combination with the top of the case, provided with guiding-grooves in which the glass is arranged to slide, which grooves are widened by depressing the lower edge back of the normal position of the glass, whereby thelatter may be bent down and slipped back on a lower plane than in its normal position, substantially as and for the purposes set fortl 2. In a burial-case, the top A, provided with guiding-grooves a, the lower faces of V which are depressed somewhat back of the face-opening in the top, in combination with a glass cover, B, arranged to slide in said grooves, and stops 0, arranged at the foot of 

